Highlights
- Swim became the first song in 2026 to cross 500 million Spotify streams, reaching the milestone in under two months.
- BTS extended their Billboard chart dominance with Arirang and its lead track Swim.
- BTS’ historic run continued at the 2026 American Music Awards, reinforcing Arirang's commercial and cultural popularity.
It took less than two months for BTS’ Swim to surpass 500 million streams on Spotify. The title track from the group's fifth studio album Arirang, is the first song released anywhere in the world this year to hit that mark, as confirmed by BigHit Music on Wednesday (May 27, 2026).
Arirang Extends BTS’ Billboard and Streaming Dominance
BTS’ upbeat alternative track, co-written by frontman RM, frames life's relentless turbulence as something to move through, not escape. Swim topped the Billboard Hot 100 and gave BTS their seventh chart-topping single, however, it did not arrive alone. The group’s album Arirang became the first album in the genre's history to spend three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Notably, every track on Arirang has surpassed 100M Spotify streams, including No. 29, an experimental soundtrack created entirely from recordings of the Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok, a centuries-old Korean artifact. That track with no tunes of traditional instruments surpassed nine figures, thus highlighting the sheer scale of BTS’ audience. Their songs like Body to Body and Hooligan have each crossed 200M streams this month alone.
American Music Awards Win Boosts BTS’ Record-Breaking Run
The momentum carried into American Music Awards 2026, where BTS took home three trophies, including the Artist of the Year. While accepting the award, BTS addressed their audience, expressing hope that their music would inspire listeners to “keep swimming forward” regardless of circumstance.
Arirang’s success doubled both as personal philosophy and commercial reality. For a group that has continuously multiplied the scale of global pop success, the milestone of 500M streams feels more like a part of a persisting trajectory.
